Can a Scheduled 15-minute School Nurse Appointment Influence Youth Health? Evaluation from an Enhanced School Health Service

Tasmania has unique adolescent health needs and often poorer adolescent health outcomes compared to other Australian states and territories. A major contributor to this is the challenge of providing an equitable healthcare service accessible and acceptable to the group. Adolescence is a time when independence in healthcare is evolving and innovative healthcare services are required to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. Schools are a place where confidential and effective primary care can be delivered to adolescents (Langford et.al. 2014; Mukoma & Flisher 2004). In Tasmania in 2012, a ‘Nurse on Campus’ school health service was in operation in only a small number of secondary schools and colleges. The model of service delivery involved a nurse being available to students for ‘drop-in’ one on one appointments as needed. This program was dependent on adolescent initiation through student self-referral or referral from another source. In 2012, an innovative ‘Nurse on Campus’ pilot project was implemented. In this enhanced school health service students at a rural high school were allocated one fifteen minute appointment with the school nurse regardless of perceived need. In addition, students were still able to access longer appointments and initiate self-referrals to the service when required as per the currently available ‘Nurse on Campus’ school health service.